Door construction



Jun@ 215 1932 F. DlTcHFlELD DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed April 28,

.Y y w O .3 n m n m O O l o O Q a n n O u n QV ,1- i i -if -II I n Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Y FRANK .'DITCI-IFIELD, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 THE YOUNGSTOWN STEEL i l DOOR COMPANY, Oli CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO DOOR CONSTRUCTION Appnatioa and- April 2s,

This invention relates to improvements in door construction and more particularly door construction for box cars.

As well known to those skilled inthe art,

'L6 great difficulty has always been experienced in maintaining an effective and efficientV weather and spark seal between the side doors and wall structure of box cars, due to weaving of the car body, mutilation of the door parts caused by use of pry bars and the like in forcing the doors, warping or cambering of the doors at the edges, yand still other causes.

In order that all parts of the door may clear the usual braces `or posts on the car side when the door is moved back and forth, the amount to which the seal-forming elements of the door structure may project inwardly of the plane of the door proper is quite limited,

thereby preventing the use of as heavy formations for rigidifying the door and providing a seal formation, as might otherwise be used.

One object of the invention is to provide a weather and spark seal construction for slidable` doors which will be economical to manufacture, apply and repair; which will be thoroughly effective throughout its entire length; and which will automatically adjust or accommodate itself to such unavoidable variations as occur in commercial manufacture and application of the parts and to any ordinary variations occurring from operation of the car.

A second object of the invention is to provide a sealing arrangement of the character indicated in the preceding paragraph wherein multiple lines of sealing contact are obtained between the cooperating sealing means on the Car side and door, the arrangement further providing an intervening air pocket or channel such that, in event rain or the like passes the first line of sealing contact, the rain will be trapped in said pocket or channel and drained therefrom and prevented from passing the second line of sealing contact.

More specific objects of the invention are to provide a somewhat inherently resilient sealing arrangement for the rear edge of a door which is always automatically effective to draw the door inwardly toward the wall 192s. seriai No. 273,478.

when approaching and while in closed position; to provide an arrangement such as herembefore indicated which is particularly applicablel to metal doors; and to so associate y the sealing means with the remaining partsV of a metallic door as to augment the reinforcement of the rear edge thereof.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a sideelevational view of a portion of a box car showing my improvements applied thereto, parts being broken away in order to better accommodate the view on the sheet. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, upon an enlarged scale, corresponding to the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, parts being broken away in Fig. 2 also, andFig. 3 is a detail horizontal sectional View illustrating a different embodiment of the invention.

In said drawing, the car side of a box car is indicated at 10, the same being provided with a door opening in the usual manner, said door opening being defined in part by a front Z-bar post 11 and a rear Z-bar post 12, said posts `having secured thereto wood fillers 113-13. The front post 11 has an angle bar 14 secured thereto,` with one of its flanges spaced therefrom so as to provide a weathersealing groove or channel for the` reception of the'forward edge of the door indicated generally by the reference character A. The rear door post 12 has one flange 15 thereof arranged parallel to the car side, the web 16 thereof extending outwardly perpendicular to the car side and the remaining flange 17 extended parallel thereto and toward the door opening. Y

The door Achosen for illustration, is of the sheet metal type preferably comprised of a plurality of panels arranged vertically, one above the other, and secured together at their adjacent edges, the panels constituting the main part ofthe door and being provided with vertical edge corrugations`18-18, bottom horizontal corrugation 19, top horizontal corrugation 2O and a-plurality of intermediate horizontal corrugations 21, the latter merging at their ends with the vertical con rugations 18-18. Beyond the edge corrugations, the sheet metal is formed to provide flat marginal portions, and bridging strips 22--22 are secured to the main panel sheets on the inner sides thereof over the respective edge corrugations, said strips being rigidly secured in place by rivets or welding. In the case of the forward edge of the door A, the strip 22 has a reverse flange 23 enclosing the marginal edge of the main sheets. Preferably, the vertical edge corrugations are braced by reinforcing strips 24-24 on the interior thereof and riveted at intervals to the corrugations. KYWith the door construction so far described, it is evident that the rear edge of the door proper consists of two plies of the sheet metal, as shown in Fig. 2. It will also be observed that the width of thedoor is made such that, when in closed position, the rear edge thereof is disposed rearwardly of the post 12.

In carrying out the invention, the door A is provided with a weather-sealing strip B applied to the rear edge of the door on the inner face of the flat margins thereof. A cooperable weather or guard strip C is secured to the post 12, the details of said strips being described hereinafter. The strip B has its rearmost edge 25 extended a slight distance rearwardly of the rear edge of the door proper, as shown in Fig. 2 and engageable with said edge 25 is the inwardly extended iange 26 of an angle bar, the other flange 27 of which is applied to the outer face of the marginal portion of the door. The strip B and buffer angle bar are secured by a common series of'rivets 28, with this arrangement, great strength is given the rear edge of the door, particularly against bending or warping inwardly or outwardly with respect to the vertical plane of the door. Furthermore, the buffer angle iron protects the strip B inasmuch as said angle iron will receive the blows when sledges or other tools are employed to move the door. It will also be observed that, due to the contact between' the edge 25 of the strip B and the buffer angle iron, the rivets 28 will be placed in double shear when such blows are applied, thus minimizing the tendency to tear out the rivets, which might otherwise occur were the rivets in single shear.

The weather strip B is of obtuse angle in cross section and comprises a baseV section 29 riveted to the door and a forwardly and inwardly inclined flangeBO. Said flange 30 is provided intermediate its edges with a corrugation 31 for a purpose hereinafter described. f

The cooperating strip C is also of obtuse angle in cross section and comprises a base section 32 and a rearwardly and outwardly inclined flangeY 33 adapted to engage and overlap the flange 3.0i. Said flange 33 is also provided with a corrugation 34 extending lengthwise thereof and disposed inwardly of the free edge of said flange 33. As will be understood, both flanges 30 and 33 of the metal strips B and C will have a certain amount of inherent resiliency and the same will fier. to some extent, due to the particu lar positions assumed by said flanges when the door is in closed position.

It will beobserved that the two flanges 3() and 33 are in Contact along two spaced lines indicated at 35 and 36 and that there is provided, intermediate said lines of sealing contact, an air channel or pocket 3T formed by said corrugations 31 and 34. As rain, snow or other foreign matter is forced against the sealing means, it is evident that the same must first pass the line 35 of sealing Contactr If any rain, snow or the like, succeeds in passing said line 35 of contact, it then enters the air channel or pocket 31 in which there will always be a current of air if the car is in motion. The rain thus entering the air pocket is trapped therein and will be drained therefrom and be prevented from passinfr toward the interior of the car by the seconc line 36 of sealing contact.

By providing the multiplelines of sealing contact, a very efficient w-eatherproofing arrangement is obtained, inasmuch as should there be variations from. any cause, in the strips B and C, which prevent an absolutely' continuous line of sealing contact along the line 35, there is the secondary or reserve line of sealing contact 36.

As the doorapproachesclosed position, it is evident that the inclined flange 30 will ride up on the other flange 33 and, due to the resiliency of said overlapping flanges, there will be a constant and automatic tendency to draw the door inwardly and maintain it close against the post. It will further be noted that the strip C is so mounted on the post that the pressure applied to the fiange 33 thereof from the strip B as the door approaches closed position, tends to turn the strip C about the shoulder formed at the angle between the base section 32 and 33, said angular edge serving as a fulcrum and this turning or twisting tendency is most effectively resisted by the rivets 38 which secure the base 32 of the strip C in place. As further evident from inspection of Fig. 2, the strip B and buffer angle bar 26-27 are not extended inwardly so as to interfere with any diagonal braces or the like that may be on the outer face of the car side.

Referring neXt to the construction shown in F ig. 3, the door D has the main portion thereof fabricated in the same manner as the door A. A similar buffer angle iron 126--12Tl is applied to the rear edge and a weathersealing strip E is applied in the same manner to the inner face of the rear marginal edge.

The rear door post is indicated at 112 and has secured thereto a weather or guard strip F. The strip E is of obtuse angle cross section having a base-securing section 129 and a plane forwardly and inwardly inclined flange 130. The strip F has a flat securing base 132 and an outwardly and rearwardly eX- tended llange 133 which is in overlapping relation with the flange 130 when the door D is in closed position. In this construction, the flange 133 only is provided witha corrugation, as indicated at 134, thus providing between it and the flange 130 an air gap or channel 137 with lines of sealing contact on opposite sides thereof, as indicated at 135 and 136. As will be evident from a comparison of Fig. 3 with Fig. 2, the construction shown in Fig. 3 will operate and function in substantially the same manner as the construction shown in Fig. 2.and a detailed description is deemed unnecessary.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out the invention, but the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modiiications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In car construction, the combination with a door and a metal door post having a section extending perpendicularly out from the car side wall; of a guard strip secured to said post section and a weather sealing strip secured to the rear edge of the door, said guard strip having a flange extendingrearwardly and outwardly and the sealing strip having a flange extending forwardly and inwardly to overlap said guard strip flange when the door is in closed position. one of said flanges having an air pocket-forming corrugation formed therein extending lengthwise thereof and disposed within the area of overlapping of the flanges when the door is in closed position, wherebv to provide spaced lines of Contact with an intervening air gap when said flanges are overlapped and in contact.

2. In car construction, the combination with a door and a. metal door post having a section thereof extending perpendicularlv out from the car side wall; of two metal strips. one secured to said post section and the other to the door, said strips having overlapping contactinganges when the door is in closed position, one of said flanges having a corrugation therein within the overlapping area of the flanges, said corrugation providing a vertically extending space, permitting drainage of any foreign matter entering therein.

3. In combination, a door post and a sliding door, a guard strip on said post and a weather sealing strip on said door, said guard strip including in an integral structure an attaching base, a rearwardly directed contacting portion and an intermediate pocket-forming'formation; and said door sealing strip being adapted to engage said contacting portion and overlie said pocket-forming formation when the door is in closed position.

1. A weather-excluding device for a car door and a door post comprising a post strip including an attaching base, a rearwardly directed section with an outer contacting portion and an intermediatepocket-forming formation; and a door weather-sealing strip adapted to simultaneously engage sa1dcontacting portion and the section along a line between said pocket-forming formation and the attaching base to form a closed surface contact weather-excluding pocket.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 29th day of March, 1928.

FRANK DITCHFIELD. 

